Thea Ulrich-Lewis serves as the Director for the Raising Texas Teachers initiative. In this capacity, she oversees the Charles Butt Scholarship for Aspiring Teachers, which provides scholarships for top teacher candidates who plan to teach in majority-economically disadvantaged schools and shortage subject areas. She also leads the initiative’s efforts to enhance the quality of teacher preparation in Texas through partnerships with teacher preparation programs across the state.
Thea joined the Foundation in 2016 as a Research Associate, researching a variety of education topics with a focus on teacher preparation. She previously worked for the Texas Legislative Budget Board conducting school district management reviews.
A native New Yorker, Thea moved to Texas in 2009 to teach elementary school in the Rio Grande Valley through Teach for America. She holds a master’s degree in public affairs from the University of Texas-Austin, and a bachelor’s degree in economics and Spanish from the University of Vermont.